The Union government on Monday introduced a bill to amend the anti-paper leak law in the wake of nationwide protests against alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.

The 2026 Public Examinations Prevention of Unfair Means Amendment Bill was introduced by Union minister Jitendra Singh as Opposition MPs shouted slogans criticising the police for using excessive force against protesters in Delhi on July 20.

Subsequently, the House was adjourned till 5 pm.

What does the bill say?

The legislation proposes imprisonment of five to ten years for individuals found using unfair means in public examinations. The maximum fine for such persons would increase from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

If instances of paper leaks or other offences listed under the bill are found to be organised, the bill proposes a minimum sentence of seven years and a fine of up to Rs 10 crore.

A total of 15 illegal acts, including leaking question papers, tampering with optical mark recognition sheets, creating fake websites and issuing fake admit cards, have been listed as offences under the bill, reported The Indian Express.

Optical Mark Recognition is a system that reads answers marked by candidates by detecting filled bubbles or marks on an answer sheet.

One of the key provisions of the bill empowers the Union government to set up a Special Task Force to investigate offences of paper leaks. The probe by police, central investigating agencies or the task force would have to be completed within two months, it says.

The bill would also require state governments and Union Territory administrations to set up special fast track courts. Pending cases under the Act would also be transferred to these fast track courts and disposed of within three months of transfer.

Youth protests against exam irregularities

The bill came following nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union education minister on account of the alleged mismanagement of a series of competitive exams. Pradhan resigned as the education minister on July 25, after which the Cockroach Janta Party withdrew its agitation.

The Cockroach Janta Party had begun its protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on June 6.

On July 20, thousands joined the protest two days after the police forcibly took activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike for three weeks, to hospital. Their march to Parliament was met with a crackdown by the police. Dozens were injured as the police used lathis, fired tear gas shells and pellet guns against the demonstrators.

The police action turbocharged the agitation, which spread to other parts of the country.

Written by Sneha. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.

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